Automatic fire-drop for stage-scenery.



110.833.9193. PATENTED OCT. 23,1906.

' H. 0. BARROW. I AUTOMATIC FIRE DROP FOR STAGE SGENERY.

APPLIOATI'ON'FILED KAY 12, 1905.

Wwaw

T"! mull: PITERS co, WAJNIN GTON. o. c.

No. 833,993- 'PATENTED 0012s, 1906. H. c. BARROW.

' AUTOMATIC FIRE DROP FOR STAGE SGYENERY.

APPLIOATIORIILED IAYU, 190s. 2 sums-sum 2.

M r/e90.

. used to putout fires in t UNITED STATES PATENT orrion AUTOMATIC FIRE-DROP FOR STAGE-SCENERY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed May 12, 1905. Serial No. 260,168.

Patented Oct. 23, 1906.

To all whom it mag concern.-

Be it known that I, HENRY O. BARROW, a citizen of the United States, residing at Berkeley,in the county of Alameda and State of California, haveinvented new and useful Means to Instantly Dro the Scenery of-a Theater or other Place Amusement to the Stage-Floor in Case of Fire or other Emergency, of which the following is a specification. I My invention relates particularly to means e scenery of theaters and to prevent the loss oflife and injury thereby; and it provides means to instantly remove from the rigging-loft all or part of the scenery in use on the stage of a theater or other place of public amusement in case of fire or otherwise and to cover the same up and smother any fire that may remain in any of the scenery after it has fallen on the stage; and it is one of the objects of myinvention to provide handy, reliable, and accessible means to instantly drop a part or all of the scenery of the stage upon the floor of the stage whenever desired so to do and to cover the same and smother 1 any fire thereon. I accomplish these objects by means of the device described herein and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 represents an elevation of a rigging-loft embodying my invention with a scene supported thereon. Fig. 2 is a plan of a rigging-loft similarly equipped. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal vertical section of a fragmentary part of a rigging-loft embodying my invention. Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail showing in plan fragmentary parts thereof. Fig. 5 is an elevation of the operating-lever.

Referring to the drawings, which show in a sim le form the application of my invention to t e rigging-loft of a theater, I provide simple means whereby any or all of the scenes and borders suspended to the rigging-loft and the asbestos smothering-cover may be instantly dropped upon the stage, leaving only the supporting means which are preferably made of steel, iron, or any non-combustible substance, by simply manipulating an operating-lever located in some convenient and accessible place on the stage.

In the accompanying drawings, A represents the supporting-beams of the riggingloft. Resting upon and arranged to have a sliding movement thereon is the release-bar B. This release-bar has a limited sliding movement on the supporting-beam,as will be hereinafter explained. Sus ended below the supporting-beam is the pul ey-bar O, which carries pulleys D, over which the ro es and cables E are placed which support the scenery.

Rigidly secured to the pulley-bar is the catch-bar F, which projects upwardly through an opening in the supporting-beam and also through a lon itudinal slot B, in the releasebar. Each 0' these bars is provided with notches F (see Fig. 3) therein for the reception and engagement of the release-bar. When these catch-bars are supported by the release-bar, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, the pulley-bars will be reliably suspended in their normal position below the su portin -beam, I

as shown in these figures. T e anti ictionrollers L have a limited movement in grooves it? the supporting-bar and carry the release- To smother out any fire that may'remain in any part of the scenery after it has fallen on the stage, I mount an asbestos cover M on and above the pulley-bars and secure the same thereto by any convenient means. In the drawings I have shown it bolted to these bars by securing-bolts N'. When the pulleybar drops with the scenery, it will carry with it the smothering-cover, which will be on top of everything combustible on the stage, and thereby extinguish any fire that may remain therein. The cover will prevent the scenery and su porting mechanism from falling too suddenly and injuring any person or thing on the stage when it falls, as the cover will act in the nature of a parachute and break the fall. In mounting this cover the only thing which will project therethrough will be the catchbars F. Now in case of a fire or other emergency requirin .the instant removal of the scenery from t e rigging-loft the operatinglever G is thrown down. This will carry with it the connecting-rod H, pivoted on the lever at its lower end, the upperend of the connectin -rod being ivotally secured to the free end 0% the lever mounted on the rocking shaft J. This shaft has keyed thereon a number of upwardlyrojecting arms I, which project through t e longitudinal slots in the release-bars B and impart thereto a longitudinal movement.- Now when the opcrating-lever G is throwndownwardly it Wlll carry with it the connecting-rod H, and that in turn will operate the lever I, carrying the arms I to the ri ht, and they in turn will move the release-bars to the right until that IOC portion of the release-bars which enters the notches F of the pulley-catches F move out of the notches, when the pulley-catches will be released and will drop, carrying with them 5 the pulley-bars and all the supported scenery and the smothering-cover to the stage. The rock-shaft which runs transversely to the release-bar will carry thereon an arm I for each one of the release-bars. The releasebags; should have all their longitudinal slots B {therein uniformly located, so that all the catches Will be released at the same time, anrtthereby drop all the scenery at once upon the stage-floor.

r 5 To prevent the accidental dropping on the stage of the scenery, the operating-lever should be locked, and upon the opening of the theater for the admission of the audience the, operating-lever should be unlocked by the attendant in charge and again locked when the audience has dispersed.

Iglaving described my invention, What I clagm as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. Means to extinguish fires in the scenery of a stage in a theater or other place of amusement, comprising an asbestos cover disposed ,above the scenery and below the rigging-loft "and means to drop the cover and the scenery,

0 in an approximately horizontal position.

2. The herein-described means to extinguish a fire in the scenery of a stage or on the stage, comprising a cover of asbestos or other non-combustible substance disposed above 3 5 the scenery and the borders of the stage and below the rigging-loft and means to instantly drop the scenery, borders and asbestos covprs at will, in an approximatelyhorizontal position.

3. In a theater or otherplace of amusement,

a fire-extinguisher composed of asbestos or other non-combustible substance detachably sppported to and below the rigging-loft and means to drop the extinguisher upon the 5 stage, in an approximately horizontal position.

4. The herein-described means to drop all the scenery and cover therefor from the riggmg-loft upon the floor of the stage comprisnally by means of the operatingeleveriGhithc lo operating-lever G workably connected; with Hi the rock-shaft J the )rojecting arnLI/ adapted: 16 upon the turning o theirocking ishaftntoiinsm part a longitudinal movement t'mthe releaseeog bar and disconnect the same from the catch Egon a pulley-bar C carrying thesceneryhaving ups wardly-pro j ecting catches 1 Ewith: recesses? Emylo therein adapted to receivea ;portion pfiitheru: release-bar at certainperiods inits npivceiti ments and to be released therefromionits/reri'n C verse movement substantially as 21 ihenei'nwrshown and described. mien. ie with; 10:1:75

6. The combinationrof supportingbeams 'zi: the herein-described releaserb alihavingrapcim r. tures therein, pulley-supporting bars-adapt Ti ed to support the stag'eescenery, catclnbfars rigidly secured to the pulley-supporting bars and adapted to enter the apertures in the release-bar, and means to impart longitudinal movement to the release-bar.

7. The combination with pulley-bars, a fire-extinguishing cover supported thereby and pulleys rotatably supported by the pulley-bars, of catch-bars connected with the pulley-bars and a release-bar for disengaging the catch-bars whereby the pulley-bars and their connected parts are detached and lowered from their support.

In witness that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto subscribed my name this 6th day of May, 1905.

HENRY O. BARROW.

Witnesses:

MYRTLE A. JoNEs, G. E. HARPHAM. 

